The Shaan Valentine Takeover!

My fourth in our ‘get to know your Miss Burlesque Tasmania finalists’ series! What a mouthful. This time I got to catch up with Shaan Valentine and hear about her start in burlesque and her preparations for her first Miss Burlesque Tasmania event.

 I have taught Shaan for several years and have performed alongside her at lots of Tasmanian events. But her interest in burlesque was sparked long before this.

My very first experience was when I was 16 - I was lucky enough to go overseas with my mum and see the famous Moulin Rouge show in Paris! I was instantly in love with everything - the glamour, the beauty, the empowerment, and the movements. Seeing the crowd go wild over these performers was intoxicating, and I was dying to be a part of it!

A few years later, (this is when I lived in Brisbane), I worked with some great gals who also were in the burlesque scene. I hadn’t yet turned 18 so I couldn’t go to any shows or take classes. Fast forward to May 2014 and I had moved to Hobart and found Miss Kitty’s Meow! I was so excited to start classes, and from my first one I was hooked. 

My first time on stage was with the Cherry Daiquiris student group doing a neo-burlesque style dance. I stayed doing the troupe performances for 2 years, and over this time we covered lots of different styles - from Bettie Page pinup style, to bump-and-grindy stripteases, to super Vegas showgirl glam!

In 2017 I performed my first solo - a flirty fan dance to one of my favourite bands - Panic! At The Disco’s “Death of a Bachelor”. I was and still am SO proud of this routine, and am thinking of giving it a little revamp and bringing it back to the stage (once the madness of Miss Burlesque Tasmania settles down!).

I feel like my style is an amalgamation of all the styles we did in the Cherry Daiquiris. I love combining the glamour of pinup/showgirl styles with the cheekiness and sexuality of bump and grind. I think every act I put together will be slightly different from the next, but will always have that unique piece of me in it!

For those of you who know Shaan, she’s made her mark in Tasmania and has performed at a wide range of events across the State. So I was interested to hear about why she wanted to enter Miss Burlesque Tasmania and her goals for the event.

I really just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it!

As some may know, I have endometriosis and have struggled pretty badly with it’s symptoms for the last few years. Burlesque has helped me reconnect with my body and feeling sexy, but it has also caused a few bumps (and grinds) in the road. Having pelvic pain and then trying to do a bunch of vigorous pelvic thrusts doesn’t exactly work well! I really wanted to enter just to give myself a little challenge, and to show myself that if I put my mind to something, I can do it!

It can be challenging to prepare for events and getting the right ‘mindset’. In my coaching I often remind finalists that they need to have other goals outside of ‘winning’ – because ultimately you can set yourself up for failure or feel pretty desolate about your work. But often there are some unexpected outcomes. Shaan had some thoughts about setting up the right mindset for Miss Burlesque Tasmania.

I can get quite competitive at times, so it’s taken a bit of work to distance myself from that mindset.

I really just want to network with other performers, immerse myself in the culture of burlesque, and grow my brand. I’m looking forward to getting some constructive tips on how to up my game!

And as I have with many other finalists, I asked her the question you should never really ask – tell us about the preparations!

Preparations have been slow and steady. My endo has been quite bad lately, which has really thrown a spanner in the works. I’ve been trying to find ways to work around it, but sometimes I just need to stop and rest. Good thing I work well to a deadline!! I’m very lucky that my wonderful mother has kindly offered to help with my costuming, so that has definitely taken some pressure off. Other than that, I’ll be taking one of my routines to the stage at April’s Burlesque After Dark installation to give it a run through before Miss Burlesque Tasmania.

Make sure you come and cheer Shaan and all the other finalists on at the Miss Burlesque Tasmania event!

Follow Shaan on social media here

Miss Burlesque Tasmania- State Final!

Saturday 29 June

Moonah Arts Centre| 23-27 Albert Rd

Doors 7pm

Tickets from www.missburlesqueaustralia.com